North Melbourne are looking to qualify for their first AFLW grand final but they’ll need to get over the top of a determined Melbourne outfit.
The two sides head into the contest unchanged, with North aiming to become the first AFLW side to qualify for the grand final from eighth place.
Neither Melbourne or North Melbourne have lost a game at Ikon Park, with the winner of Saturday’s clash to face Brisbane in the AFLW grand final.
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“For us, in previous seasons, we’ve really doubted our ability to match it with them. I reckon that gave us belief. They’ve probably improved since round two (when the two sides last met); we’ve seen enormous growth in our players since round two.
“We’re here to win premierships, that’s always the motivation, that’s always going to be a little carrot. You see the premiership cup, every team wants to win it, it’s not just us and Melbourne.”
The Roos and Demons will take unchanged line ups into Saturday’s preliminary final.
North Melbourne kicked a season-high 11 goals in the semi final win over Richmond, showcasing their forward half dominance.
But rivals Melbourne are expecting a “heated” contest this weekend as they seek to go one win better than season six.
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“We want to go out there every week and have fun together as well, because we know when we’re out there having fun, we’re playing our best footy. But obviously we’re wanting that cup in our hands, but what we can control is this weekend against the Roos,” Demon Karen Paxman said.
The second preliminary final will be held from 3.10pm AEDT at Ikon Park on Saturday.
Follow the action in the live blog below
